Where is the fillet?

I know that the term fillet fits more a cad software but...bear with me.
I'm a photoshop/3ds max user, recently I had to do some personal illustration work and illustrator was the first thought for vector graphic, plus I can get it at student price.
So I downloaded and installed the trial and start using it. As first time user I found illustrator workflow a bit awkward, I admit it's all in my lack of skills with the software and there is a lot to learn, but simple things I'm used to do in 3ds max with splines seems impossible with illustrator. Of course I'm talking in 2d space in this case.

If any of you worked with splines in Max you know how easy is to fillet a vertex, trim, weld and so on, I hoped that illustrator would work somewhat the same way with a path but I guess I'm either wrong or missing the feauture. I know for sure it's an awesome program but maybe for my actual need is too much!?

Anyway, right now my needs are to simply drow shapes and have control on corners with a fillet command of some sort, instead of "guessing" the raddii with the handles.

I can do part of the work in Max and export as .ai but I rather work entirely in one vector pogram.

I found a free program too, called inkscape, but again I can't round a corner or trim a shape the way I'd like.

If anybody can point me to the right direction, a software alternative, a tutorial, anything is appreciated.

I'm not sure if this answers your question but...
Yes, you can do all of the "spline" operations in Illustrator.
For rounding corners - select the object, then Effect/Stylize/Round Corners. To access the settings for further adjustment, click Window/Appearance and the Appearance tab will open.
Illustrator 'Effects' are live/procedural generators. So, when you are ready to go back to Max - select the object than click Object/Expand. Press Ctrl+Y to see the actual paths/splines. Or View/Outlines.
If you need a fillet that is not rounded, you would simply have to add points with the Pen Tool, than position the points accordingly.
As far as welding points, that would be 'Join' in Illustrator.
You would use the Direct Selection Tool to select the two points in question than Ctrl+J or Object/Path/Join. This creates a path between two points, or it converts the two points into one point if the points are at the same coordinates.
Ctrl+Alt+J will centralize all selected points when selected with the Direct Selection tool.

To define a size with a shape tool (such as a circle), select the shape from the tool palette than click on the artboard, a popup will appear asking for a dimension.

Still, this is a complete oversight. Something so simple and useful should have been a part of Illustrator a LONG time ago! Stylize doesn't work. I've tried. Nothing for a chamfer/fillet without spending $135+ dollars? C'mon, Adobe!

Wait a minute; I've got to be tripping here: Illustrator - the self-proclaimed industry standard for vector graphics, a FOURTEEN VERSION-OLD PIECE OF SOFTWARE 23 YEARS IN THE MAKING (one of the oldest in the world) requires a purchase of a 3rd-party plug-in to perform something as basic as filleting of individual corners??? WOW!
In any case, thanks for the info, Antonis.

I've recently had to use Illustrator just to add type and a few symbols to raster image. Jesus... what age was this program excavated from? I've literally wrote 8 "illustrator how to..." google queries and still failed to make a simple rounded-edge road number shield (but with top corners not rounded and in perfect symmetry). One of those queries led me here. Eventually it took me 30s to do it in AutoCAD and import it. On another not - snapping is atrocious, while data organization wants to be taken out back and shot so it misery might finally end.

Take linework from AutoCAD, cull hundreds of uberspecific tools down to their functions, leave vector effects of Illustrator and organize all user-accessible data into one full hierarchy like in 3d modeling apps. This would be an epic program.

Honestly it does look like they preserve legacy tools/modifiers just not to piss off old-school illustrator designers who have already crawled dozens of hours through crap to learn full potential of this program.